People Power: A Documentary Exploring Participatory Democracy Around the World

How can ordinary people hold elected government officials accountable?

In the short documentary People Power, TV Education Asia Pacific approaches accountability through participatory democracy. The film examines cases around the world where citizen participation has led to increased accountability, enhanced citizen involvement, and an amplified public voice.

The cases explored serve as prime examples of a participatory government’s power to improve lives at the local level and to make progress on critical development issues such as corruption, health, finance, and unemployment.

Rajasthan, India

The Indian segment follows the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) in its fight to enhance the public’s right to information, to ensure public funds are spent accordingly, and to hold government officials accountable.

Malawi

In Malawi, the film documents a local evaluation of community healthcare providers working to improve healthcare service delivery.

Porto Alegre, Brazil

While filming in Brazil, the documentary allows the audience to view participatory meetings that involve all citizens — including the poor– in the budgetary process.

Ireland

In Ireland, People Power shows the government collaborating with community stakeholders in order to agree upon solutions to important economic and social issues.